15 Jan 2016

The 13 members of activist group Plane Stupid
accused of "aggravated trespass" during a protest at Heathrow
Airport in July last year have the full support of the Green Party of England
and Wales.

The trial of the
activists, who occupied the
northern runway of Heathrow, begins at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on
Monday January 18th. Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party, Dr
Shahrar Ali,
Deputy Leader of the Green Party, and Sian Berry, Green Party candidate
for
Mayor of London, will all attend a demonstration outside the court to
underline the Party’s solidarity with the non-violent climate activists.

Speaking ahead of the trial, Natalie Bennett said:

Our party applauds the determination of the
Heathrow 13. We stand up for the activists just as they are standing up
for our planet.

Bigger airports make no climate sense. The
UK cannot make its contribution to cutting carbon emissions whilst expanding
its airports and increasing emissions from aviation.

If this government is in any way serious
about delivering climate-sensitive policies then airport expansion plans must
be immediately shelved and other measures - including
encouraging short-haul flight passengers on to existing rail services and
introducing a frequent flyer tax - must be explored.

Shahrar Ali, a long-time supporter of the activists and a Green Party candidiate on the GLA List
said:

We stand in solidarity with the activists
who, like the Green Party, recognise that urgent action is needed to protect us
all from the threat of climate change. Endless growth of our aviation
capacity is incompatible with the UK meeting its climate change
commitments.

If airport expansion gets the go-ahead at
Heathrow, local residents will suffer enormously from increasing noise and air
pollution, the ‘silent killer’ of thousands of Londoners each year.”London has already breached annual pollution
limits for 2016 LINK. A report commissioned by Mayor Boris Johnson last year
found that nearly 9,500 people die prematurely each year because of the
capital’s dirty air LINK.